Rounded Rectangles: Apple's Plastic iPhone May Be Inexpensive, But It Won't Be Cheap

Mr. McGuire: I want to say one word to you. Just one word.Benjamin: Yes, sir.Mr. McGuire: Are you listening?Benjamin: Yes, I am.Mr. McGuire: Plastics.

Plastics may have been the next big thing when The Graduate hit screens in 1967, but they don't get a lot of love in 2013. Plastic equates to cheap and flimsy, which is the main reason why Samsung's flagship Galaxy S3 — despite being an extremely well-designed phone, and one that has set the curve for big-screen handsets — has taken its share of criticism.

But plastic — excuse me, polycarbonate — shouldn't be to blame.

Not even with a spokesman this smarmy.

You may have read the rumor that Apple is building a new iPhone model to compete in the low-cost, contract-free market that Samsung pretty much dominates. There are loads of these phones on the market, with lame specs and flimsy enclosures, and it's hard to believe that Apple would ever stoop so low as to make one.

I mean, just imagine Phil Schiller walking out during the next iPhone event and saying: "It's really beautiful. It's got a full plastic back. It's really nice."

Go back and watch the iPhone 3G launch. Because that's exactly what Steve Jobs said in 2008. And no one called that cheap, did they?

Apple's build quality had less to do with the materials it chooses and more to do with its tremendous attention to detail, even if it means struggling to meet demand. Samsung, according to exec Y.H. Lee — who all but admitted that the Galaxy S4 will retain its plastic body — treats the design process just a little differently:

"When Samsung looks at what materials to use, it isn't just taking into consideration the aesthetic quality of the device. The company also assesses how quickly and efficiently it can manufacture the product, knowing that it will have to ship a high volume."

Last I checked, Apple ships (and sells) a heck of a lot more iPhones than Samsung does Galaxy S3's; as a matter of fact, it seems like the more phones Apple sells, the higher its quality gets. We know that aesthetics are of absolute importance in Apple's world, but it's not just how things look; Apple wants the whole experience to be perfect, from its heft, to the way it feels in your hand, to how it slides into your pocket.

Five years later, the iPhone 3G still feels like a sturdier, higher-quality handset than the Galaxy S3 (before you start using it, anyway). It's nothing that's really quantifiable — the materials are the same and the shape is somewhat similar — its just that Apple doesn't compromise. Jony Ive and Tim Cook don't care about manufacturing while settling on a final design. They only want to build the best product they can, whether we're talking glass, aluminum or plastic. The production comes later.

Just take a gander at the iconic products Apple's been able to mold from cheap, low-grade plastic: iMac, Power Mac G4 Cube, PowerBook, iBook, MacBook, iPod. The Snow White Design Language? Plastic. The chrome-and-white design aesthetic? Plastic (the white part, anyway). The translucent revolution? Well, you get the idea.

Whether or not Apple is working on a plastic iPhone — and this job listing certainly suggests it is — there's one thing we know for sure. No matter what price it sells for, it won't be cheap.